Violent crime rose at T in the Park this summer, according to police chiefs.
A post-mortem of the music festival’s controversial Strathallan Castle debut has revealed the rate of assaults and menacing behaviour is on the increase.
Tayside division commander chief superintendent Eddie Smith said the number of crimes reported during the three-day show was similar to previous years but there had been a notable upturn in violence.
His statement to the council’s community safety committee came as 30-year-old Ross Porter, above, from Dunfermline was jailed for a vicious assault on a fellow festival-goer.
Perth Sheriff Court heard last week that a drunken Porter bit a chunk out of his 17-year-old victim’s cheek.
During a regular round-up of police activity in Perthshire over the last three months, CS Smith told councillors: “Perth and Kinross Council have already held a multi-agency debriefing on T in the Park and we await that report being published.
“What I can say is that crime overall was pretty much the same as it was last year; however, violent crime showed an increase both in relation to serious assaults and common assaults.
“Threatening and abusive behaviour, and other anti-social behaviour, also showed an increase and that’s something that has been discussed within the multi-agency debrief setting.”
Last month T in the Park boss Geoff Ellis apologised for a spate of problems at this year’s event, including late-night transport issues, and stressed that measures were being put in place in time for next summer’s show.
A spokeswoman for the festival said last night: “Fans’ behaviour and safety is our top priority and we urge everyone to act responsibly when at the festival.
“We hosted 80,000 music fans over four days at this year’s event, with 54 arrests, which shows that the majority of people do heed our advice and come to the festival just to have fun with their friends.
“We will continue to work closely with Police Scotland and our security agencies to maintain the festival’s excellent track record, which is one of the best in the UK.”
Promoter DF Concerts will still need to secure a public entertainment licence before next year’s show can go ahead.
Licensing committee convener Bob Ellis said: “We look forward to seeing the report of the debriefing and we will go through it with a fine-toothed comb. We intend to work closely with police, DF Concerts and other partners to make sure we don’t get a repeat of some of this year’s problems.”